Nasser Hussain recently made a statement regarding the qualities that have made the former English captain a “massive fan” of Virat Kohli. Hussain’s comments follow the Indian star’s announcement on Monday, May 12, that he would be retiring from the game’s longest format.
Hussain referred to Kohli as a “unbelievable player” and acknowledged that, in the context of Indian cricket, he was the one player who most embodied a love of the game.
“For the past 14 years, I have been a huge supporter of Virat Kohli. Although his statistics are self-evident, he was much more than that. It was his swagger, passion, and aura. We are aware of how important cricket is to Indian cricket lovers. No one in India more personified that love for cricket than Kohli, and they want their captain to demonstrate to them what it means to the squad. On a Sky Sports Cricket podcast, Hussain said, “He was an incredible player.”
He transformed India into the powerhouse it is today: Hussain
Hussain said that Kohli’s insistence on giving it his all each and every time he took the pitch would have made it difficult for him to continue in a game he loved, thereby suggesting a prolonged downturn in red-ball cricket play.
“He sees the end result as a victory and is anxious for it; he is the ultimate winner. For Kohli, winning is everything. Why do you think his run chase skills are so strong? He can never say, “I’ll just do my best today,” and he cannot enter the field without giving it his all. The fact that he doesn’t want to be a typical cricket player who only plays occasionally may have contributed to his decision to retire. He transformed India into the powerhouse it is today,” Hussain continued.
For their next tour of England, India will not have Rohit Sharma or Virat Kohli.
On June 20, the five-match series is set to start. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has not yet revealed the team for the series.
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